Christmas books put events into perspectiveThis year, Christmas shopping may be an especially welcome respite from the ugly events going on across the country, as mobs take to the streets because grand juries that examined evidence reached different conclusions from those reached by mobs who made up their minds without examining that evidence. Perhaps more than in other years, shopping malls can become shopping mauls. One of the ways to make Christmas shopping less stressful is to give...

Panel changes pay raise debateLITTLE ROCK — A newly formed commission meeting this week to review and adjust Arkansas elected officials’ salaries changes the dynamic of a long-running debate among policymakers. Arkansas’ pay for governor, legislators and other elected positions pale when compared to most states, but there’s little political upside to increasing those salaries. Approved by voters last month, the Independent Citizens Commission will hold its first meeting Th...

Vilonia's returnLITTLE ROCK — By objective measures, 2014 has been a fairly calm year weather-wise in Arkansas. We’ve seen instances of drought, wildfires and flooding, but they’ve been fewer when compared to historic instances in the past five years. There were some extreme conditions in the winter and summer, but again, nothing unusually lengthy or unprecedented. Even Arkansas’ tornado count has been below our annual average, and most of the storms we have ...

Holiday giving in ArkansasThe holidays in Arkansas are rich with giving traditions. Just think about the many toy drives and coat drives taking place in your schools and churches. Bell ringers greet you now at many stores providing you an opportunity to help those less fortunate. It is estimated that 17 percent of all giving occurs during the month of December. We encourage every family to give what they can this year. We also want to make sure your generosity is direc...

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State House of RepresentativesThe Courier Your Messenger For The River Valley

Should legislators get a raise?Let’s start by emphasizing that I was the one who brought up the subject with Rep.-elect Ron McNair, R-Alpena. He did not approach me to complain in print. The subject is pay for state legislators. McNair owns an auto shop in Alpena in north Arkansas. He is his only employee. He’s been an unpaid school board member almost 30 years. He narrowly won the Republican primary in May and didn’t face a Democratic opponent, so he’s been driving back an...

The story of grandpa's handsMost people have heard the saying, “You don’t miss the water until the well is dry.” This simply means that we don’t really miss something of great value, until it’s gone. Have you ever really looked at your hands and thought, “How would I get along without them, either one hand or both?” To bring some perspective to these haunting thoughts, please allow me to share this article with you because I believe it will give you, as it has me, a grea...

Did somebody say 'Clear the field?'We all know people who believe that they know more than we do, who look down on us and believe that they are better than we are. They believe they are smarter than the rest of us, and if they have control, then they can control the outcome and make whatever it is better. This is the same belief that led the U.S.S.R. into centralized planning and control. We all know what happened to the Soviet Union. Contrast this to President Reagan’s belief ...

Why release a report on CIA in wartime?What good purpose is served by releasing a report on CIA enhanced interrogation techniques while we are still at war with an enemy whose techniques include beheading Americans? Senate Intelligence Committee Chair Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) and her Democratic colleagues say that the CIA lied about their tactics and exceeded their authority while seeking to obtain information from suspected terrorists. There is a dispute among politicians and i...

Rush to judgment: Is law optional?The fiasco of "Rolling Stone" magazine's apology for an unsubstantiated claim of gang rape at a University of Virginia fraternity house — and the instant rush to judgment of the university administration in shutting down all fraternities, when those charges were made — should warn us about the dangers of having serious legal issues dealt with by institutions with no qualifications for that role. Rape is a crime. It belongs in a criminal justic...

Water, water everywhere, but not belowIt makes up about 71 percent of the earth’s surface and about 60 percent of the adult human body. All our lives, it’s been available in abundance, particularly in Arkansas, and it still is, but we’ll have to change the way we obtain it. And it won’t be cheap to make that change. I’m talking, of course, about water. Arkansas consumes about 11 billion gallons a day – enough, over a year’s time, to cover every inch of the state 4.2 inches deep. E...

Difficult decisions on prisonsGetting elected is much easier than governing, especially if you have rich friends willing to finance your campaign. Trouble is, those rich friends don’t stick around to help with the governing. That’s what the Republicans swept into the top state offices and Legislature are beginning to find as they learn more about actually running the state. They’ve made some promises they won’t be able to keep unless they make a lot of people unhappy. And ...

Hutchinson tax cut pitch mirrors Beebe’sLITTLE ROCK — Gov.-elect Asa Hutchinson’s pitch to Arkansas farmers on why they should support his $100 million tax cut proposal was a simple one: I’ve stood with you on your tax exemptions, so help me in passing a reduction that will go even further. “They’re important to you; therefore, they’re important to me,” Hutchinson told the group at its annual convention last week. “But we are now reaching a point in Arkansas that we need to look bey...

Recognizing researchLITTLE ROCK — Economic development is usually looked at from the standpoint of recruiting new businesses and entities to our State and nurturing the industries and businesses that already call Arkansas home. We endeavor to make certain that the work force is well-suited for the high-paying jobs we are busy establishing in Arkansas. This means that our job-creation efforts go well beyond bricks and mortar. We must also develop human capital, pe...

Bills have already been filed in HouseLITTLE ROCK — While the Regular Session of 2015 is still more than a month away, several members have already filed bills. Arkansas is one of 37 states which allows for bill pre-filing. The pre-filing process allows bills to be prepared and introduced before the Regular Session convenes. It increases the efficiency of the legislative process in several ways. Legislative staff has more time to draft legislation. In addition, the paperwork that ...

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State House of RepresentativesThe Courier Your Messenger For The River Valley

Cameron gets it on immigrationThere is nothing like a little heat from a third political party to get the attention of career politicians who wish to stay in office. Nigel Farage, leader of the upstart UK Independent Party (UKIP), has been turning up the heat on British Prime Minister David Cameron over the issue of migrants who come to the UK without jobs and immediately sign up for government benefits. The debate in Britain mirrors the one in the United States with one i...

A positive moment of truthCONWAY — As you read and contemplate my thoughts today, here is a quote that I would like to ask you to ponder for a few minutes, “Finish each day and be done with it. You have done what you could. Some blunders and absurdities no doubt crept in; forget them as soon as you can. Tomorrow is a new day; begin it well and serenely and too high a spirit to be cumbered with your old nonsense. The day is all that is good and fair. It is too dear with...

The power of a pauseDecember, a time for choral concerts, band performances, orchestra recitals, cocktail parties, holiday markets, family gatherings and final exams. Almost everyone is overbooked and overworked, exhausted and running on empty. Busy schedules lead to being away from home one night after the other, to the detriment of family dinners, early bedtimes and balanced meals. The temptations of food and drink are too enticing to ignore. Rich food, sweet s...

Response to rioters: Restitution and shamingNo matter whose side you are on in the upheaval following the killing of Michael Brown by police officer Darren Wilson in Ferguson, Missouri, everyone should agree on the profound sadness of it all: sadness that an 18-year-old boy-man walked a path that led to his destruction; sadness that a police officer felt the need to defend himself by shooting another human being; sadness over the rioting and looting that followed a grand jury’s decision...

Are we turning post-materialistic?In 1916, Wanamaker’s department store in Philadelphia sponsored a children’s parade with heralds, a brass band, Jack the Giant Killer, clowns, girls as snowflakes, boys as silver stars and Santa Claus transported by four Eskimos to his throne in the Royal Red Theater — every morning it was open during the Christmas season. You don’t get that on Facebook. Nowadays, despite the lack of spectacle, much shopping is moving online. The purchases the...

Opinions versus factsEveryone seems to have an opinion about the tragic events in Ferguson, Missouri. But, as Daniel Patrick Moynihan used to say, “You’re entitled to your own opinion but you’re not entitled to your own facts.” Soon after the shooting death of Michael Brown, this 285-pound young man was depicted as a “gentle giant.” But, after a video was leaked, showing him bullying the owner of a store from which he had stolen some merchandise, Attorney General ...